by TurtleMe
“Cough!” Samantha stirred awake as she winced from the pain her legs gave her.
“Y-you guys all made it.” She gave us a weak smile, her lips cracking in the process.
“Stop talking, you need to save your energy. We’ll get you to a hospital soon.”
“L-look what I found~” Ignoring my nagging, she slowly reaches inside her robe and pulls out my mask and a dull green stone.
“The beast core!” Elijah looks excitedly at the item that would be worth fortunes as Samantha drops the items in my hands.
“Thank you.” I give her a smile and Samantha sinks back into sleep.
Putting on the mask, I turn to my guardian. “Jasmine, I want you and Elijah to go first to Guild Hall and get help back down here. I’ll stay here with Samantha.”
The both of them nod and head out. It’ll take them a couple more hours for them to go back there and come back. During this time, I’ll absorb the Elderwood’s beast core. With that, and the fact that I assimilated my body with Sylvia’s Will, I should be able to make more than a full recovery.
Before I start meditating, I take out the parchment I got from the Twin Horns and record a message, telling my parents that I was fine and that I’ll be coming home soon.
I sat cross-legged and took a deep breath before absorbing the mana from the Elderwood’s beast core, all the while thinking of what I should do with Lucas.
I didn’t want to just settle for petty revenge. I wanted to do something more. He was from a very powerful family of notorious mages and his blood made him have a certain amount of protection from the elves. Of course with my connections with the royal family, I don’t think it would matter much but the Wykes family that he was a part of could make things complicated.
They arrived sooner than I anticipated because after only a couple of hours of meditation, I hear the footsteps of people coming this way.
By the uniforms the people that came in were wearing, I could tell that they were the medics Jasmine and Elijah were able to bring. Among the group of medics was Kaspian, who was sending out orders to medics and a couple Guild workers.
Hiding the mana core I didn’t finish absorbing, I watched as the medics worked on Samantha. They used a mixture of herbs to anesthetize her and were pushing back the bones into the right place. The field of medicine wasn’t that advanced in this world so I wasn’t sure that they would be able to fully heal Samantha’s legs, but I was relieved when I saw an Emitter amongst them.
Kaspian walked towards me and I stood up. “Good Evening Mr. Note. I didn’t expect for us to be meeting like this. Ms. Flamesworth has told me the situation and I know how you must feel.”
“Oh do you now? Then would you kindly inform me the current location of Lucas so that I may properly respond to his actions against our party?” I say through gritted teeth. My fists were clenched by the tone Kaspian was talking in because I knew he came here for the purpose of warning me to stay away from him.
“I must advise you Mr. Note that you should not take action against Mr. Wykes…right now.” He shakes his head, confirming my assumption.
“And why not ‘right now’? My identity is a secret and I have the capability to easily erase that bug’s existence. Do you think you have the power to protect him from me?” My eyes coldly stare straight into the thin man.
“Of course I know I don’t possess the power to fight against you when you’re at your full strength Mr. Note but I assure you that I can pose a threat to you now.” He straightens his glasses. “But even if I could, I wouldn’t need to. Mr. Note, I am warning you because believe it or not, I do carry the obligation to care for you since you are affiliated with Mrs. Flamesworth, even if she is the estranged daughter of the house. The Wykes are the type of people that will carry out revenge in the most extreme manner. Assuming that you do kill their precious Lucas Wykes, I know right now, you do not possess the power to kill the whole Wykes house. Even if they don’t know your identity, that won’t stop them from killing anyone that had anything to do with you. This includes Mrs. Flamesworth and the people who she’s affiliated with, the Twin Horns. Going further than that, I believe the Wykes will further their revenge against you by going against all of the people close to the Twin Horns party, which includes Reynolds Leywin and his family.”
At that, I knew Kaspian at least had a suspicion of who I was. I don’t know how he managed to figure it out, but from his gaze, I knew that he was on to something.
“Like I said Mr. Note. I wish to be on your side. What I said about the Wykes family is all from previous events in the past so I can assure you that they will stop at nothing from wiping out anyone that had to do with you, even if it they aren’t directly related. Until the day you hold the power and authority to protect the people you care for from them, I must advise you from acting against them for now. With that, I will now take my leave. The Adventurer, Samantha, must be taken back to a facility to be properly cared for.” Giving me a curt bow, we walks away towards Samantha, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I could only laugh at the pitiful state I was in. He was right. Until I could wipe away the whole Wykes house, it would be dangerous for my family and friends if I act against them. No matter how much of an asshole he was, it wasn’t worth risking my loved ones.
Through clenched fists, I swore to myself that Lucas would regret this day.
Elijah and Jasmine both put a sympathetic hand on my shoulder and I just nodded back at them.
We arrived in the Guild Hall located on the outskirts of the Beast Glades a couple hours later. Samantha was now resting in the recovery facility and Jasmine, Elijah and I were resting on couches in a back room. Kaspian was moved from his office in Xyrus to this place and was seated behind his desk when the door opens.
“You guys managed to make it out alive!” Behind a group of what looked like guards was Lucas.
Kaspian literally face-palms at Lucas’ audacity and eyes me to remember what we talked about.
Elijah and Jasmine both get up from their seat and stare daggers at him, unsheathing their weapons while I remain seated. It took all that I had in me to rush in and kill the brat who betrayed us and was stupid enough to come here and mock us further.
I don’t know if it was because he was stupid or confident that he dared show himself in front of us, but I knew he was somewhat weary since he had a group of pretty powerful mages as guards who also had their weapons unsheathed in defense against my two companions.
“I wonder how you managed to escape from the beast. Did you have to sacrifice someone else to save yourselves? Samantha is a cripple now and I don’t see Brald… don’t tell me you sacrificed hi…”
A high-pitched screech was emitted from the tip of my index and middle fingers as a thin beam of condensed lightning shot out at Lucas.
I got the idea for this technique from my previous world. Using electromagnetism to create a condensed laser, it was a deadly attack but it did leave my hand numb for a couple of minutes because my own body wasn’t able to handle to force needed to create it.
Before anyone could even react, the thin beam pierced through Lucas’ left ear, erasing his left earlobe completely.
Holding in the urge to groan from the shock my own body felt from even the tiny beam, I face Lucas whose smug face was nowhere to be seen. “Before I make a hole in somewhere more important, you should leave and realize that your family can’t protect you for long.”
The guards realized after seeing Lucas’ ear that I somehow attacked him and instantly had their weapons against me when I got up and stared at them.
The elite guards that were protecting Lucas instinctively took a step back as their hands started shaking from fear. They were trained veterans that have killed and knew that, right now, their lives were in danger.
“Now now! Mr. Lucas, it wasn’t wise for you to show yourself like this. Let us leave it at this.” Kaspian ushered the group out the door, heaving a big sigh before facing me.
“You’ve controlled yourself the best you could today but I’m afraid you’ve made enemies with one of the strongest houses in the Kingdom of Sapin.” He shakes his head.
“That’s fine. He won’t take action from what happened today. Despite his conceited attitude, Lucas is cautious. He knows that, right now, if he doesn’t go against me, I won’t do anything.”
I get up, Sylvie, who was next to me, stirs awake and Samantha and Elijah follow behind me. It was time to go home.
Today’s silence isn’t my weakness. It was just the beginning for my revenge.
Chapter 35: Precautions
KASPIAN BLADEHEART’S POV:
After getting back to my seat to sort out the paperwork piled up, I look up to see that the masked Adventurer, Note, has come back by himself. Closing the door behind him, his baritone voice whispers in a barely audible voice.
“Mr. Bladeheart…. I remember you saying that you would truly like to help me?”
The faint voice I hear through his mask sends a chill down my spine, as if every fiber of my body is screaming at me ‘danger’.
Ignoring my body’s protest, I put on stoic face, straightening my glasses before responding. “Yes. Your close connection to Mrs. Flamesworth as well as your own personal potential has been viewed favorably upon by the Guild.
“…I see.”
The Adventurer, who’s identity, or even age, I could not guess, was pondering before he looked back up. I know he was somehow connected to the Leywin household but even thorough background searches have turned out fruitless.
“I plan to take a very extensive break from being an Adventurer Kaspian, so I would like to ask you for a favor.”
“Please continue…” I respond after his slight pause, my curiosity aroused.
ARTHUR LEYWIN’S POV:
There were some things to get settled before we were allowed to leave the Guild Hall. For one, Lucas was to be stripped of his Adventurer’s license and all of its benefits. That was the reason we saw him today; he had to be fully denounced of his position and stature as an A class Adventurer in front of a couple high-rank guild workers.
“…I hereby declare Conjurer Adventurer, Lucas Wykes, stripped of his A-class ranking for indirectly causing the death and almost fatal injury of his party members during a dungeon excursion. Intentional betrayal of fellow party members will, furthermore, prohibit him from becoming an Adventurer until otherwise stated by the Guild. You may now hand in your card.” The stern, elderly judge bangs the gavel, creating a loud echo too long to be natural.
This whole time, the noble half-elf brat had a look stitched on his face as if he’s swallowed a live frog, his eyes jutting back and forth between the judge and I, confused why I was with him in trial.
I could tell he was shocked by the direct retaliation from me, one that he couldn’t even react to. When he heard that we were alive, he was under the assumption that we somehow escaped from the Elderwood Guardian, not kill it. Now, his once confident gaze was filled with doubt as he’s obviously pondering what really happened down there.
That seed of doubt I just planted was something I meant to do, one that would make him more cautious. The skill “Railgun” I used on him was instant and tore a hole through his earlobe. After experiencing such a fast defeat, it would lead to thoughts of whether he could defend himself against me in the future.
The skill I used was rather just a flashy one, one that served its purpose. The Railgun generated between my fingertips seemed to be deadly and casted instantly, but that wasn’t the truth. In order to generate enough power to essentially shoot a laserbeam like that would take time and also create a much stronger recoil. The flashy beam I casted instantly was more of a condensed beam of light. The real reason I was able to tear a hole through him, and why I chose his earlobe was because I just threw a sharp fragment of my metal button at him, hidden by the harmless light beam.
While even the harmless condensed light that probably had enough power to only partially numb his ear did actually have a backlash on me, the high-pitched sound and the lightning aftereffect were an act that hopefully instilled a deep enough fear into the boy.
“Next to be put on trial is Augmenter Adventurer, Note. Faced with the clear enmity with Lucas Wykes and possibly the whole Wykes household displayed by the act of aggression against Lucas Wykes, I hearby declare temporary ban from Xyrus City during the whole duration of Lucas Wykes’ attendance at Xyrus Academy.” The gavel once again boomed throughout the small room, while the various shadows of Guild workers nodded in agreement and murmured amongst themselves.
Putting on my best angry voice, I lean forward on the podium. “Sir! I object to this punishment! Why am I to be reprimanded for Lucas’ betrayal at the dungeon?” I slam my fists down to further my point. All the while, Lucas’s cautious face turns smug and I could see the slight smirk on his face as he looks away from the judge.
I knew revoking his license didn’t mean much to him and with me “out of the way”, he didn’t have to worry about anything.
“Enough! We are aware of the circumstances, which is why we chose not to revoke your license, when normally, using spells inside the Guild Hall would be more than enough reason to. You will be allowed to continue being an Adventurer, as long as we do not catch you near Mr. Wykes or his family.” The judge’s stern face becomes even sharper as his gaze pierces through my mask.
“Wait! What about his identity sir? Wouldn’t he be able to easily take his mask off and slip through inside the city and potentially harm me or my family?” Lucas shoots his hand up and eyes me victoriously.
“We have already decided to have his identity recorded once this sentencing is over Mr. Wykes. You will not be allowed to know of Mr. Note’s identity for obvious reasons while select Guild Hall members will keep tabs on Mr. Note’s whereabouts, masked or not. This is not up for debate. This sentencing is over.” The judge declares and walks out before either of us have the chance to refute.
“Tch!” Lucas just walks out, escorted by his guards after he hands back his Adventurer card and gives me one last glance. “I hope you know what’s good for you and stay away from me.”
Ignoring the threat of the prepubescent Conjurer, I am escorted into the back room by several guards, following behind the judge and Guild workers.
Once the door closes behind me, the guards release their grip on my arms and the stern judge lets out a sigh.
“I trust that this little charade was to your satisfaction Mr. Note?” His sharp white eyebrows twitch a little.
“Thank you Judge for your participation in this.” I give a slight bow.
Shaking his head, giving me a helpless look. “No need. It is not on your behalf that I did this. I sincerely hope that I could trust that you will not cause any trouble after this. We will not be able to hide the truth from the Wykes family forever but as long as you do not go against them, they will not bother with you.”
“I understand. Kaspian mentioned to me a passageway where I can safely remove my “identity”, is that correct?” I look around the dim room.
“Yes, your acquaintances are waiting for you on the other side.” The judge fumbles around with a couple of the books on the shelf and suddenly a passage opens up from the ground.
“I bid you farewell Mr. Note and I do hope that you won’t cause us further trouble with the Wykes house.” Giving a curt nod, I exaggerate a salute to the guards and the judge, as well as the other Guild workers before entering the passageway.
Opening the door on the other side, I’m greeted by a head-butt from Sylv.
“Kyu!” ‘How did everything go Papa? Is it over now? Can we go home?’
The only other people that greeted me were Jasmine and Elijah. “Everything is over. Let’s go back home guys.” Sylv hops onto my head.
After taking a couple of steps, Elijah asks, “Did you not want to visit Samantha?”
“I think it’ll be better I don’t visit her. Jasmine, maybe you should sto
p by the hospital next time to check up on her?” Jasmine was silent the whole time but she looks at me and nods.
During the discussion of future plans, Elijah looked a little disheartened, not saying much throughout the way.
We were still on the border of The Beast Glades so getting access to the teleportation portal to Xyrus would be the next order of things.
“Well, I guess we should split ways here right?” Scratching his untidy black hair, he looks at Jasmine and I with a weak smile.
“Huh? You’re not going to come with us, Elijah? Did you have something you needed to do?” I assumed he would be coming with us to Xyrus but thinking through, I should’ve realized he might have his own plans.
